Claughton Hall Bridge – Garstang

On the Claughton Hall estate an ornamental stone bridge was in a state of considerable disrepair due to damage caused by ferrous cramps and the ingress of roots. This had caused the misalignment of stones and increased rainwater penetration hastening decay. Lambert Walker was appointed by architects Bernard Taylor Partnership to undertake extensive masonry repairs to the bridge, requiring the dismantling of balustrades and piers, the removal of ferrous cramps, the carving of new stones, reconstruction and repointing.

Corner piers of coursed ashlar masonry blocks were dismantled and reconstructed with stainless steel dog cramps installed in every third course to consolidate the structure and prevent any future instability. All masonry was repointed with different areas receiving a specific lime mortar mix. This was designed to reflect the porosity of the structure and therefore best suited to resist weathering and future degrading processes.

Coping stones, piers and parapets on both sides of the bridge were dismantled with the position of each stone recorded to allow for accurate reassembly. The top of the projecting decorative cornice stones were exposed to reveal ferrous cramps which were removed and replaced with stainless steel dog cramps. Balustrade plinth stones could then be relaid using a traditional lime mortar bedding mix and fixed into position with stainless steel pins. Many newly carved balusters were similarly pinned and bedded onto the plinth with coping stones aligned and rebedded on top.